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There's an enormous premium on heat pumps in the U.S. So, there's a manufacturer of heat pumps here, in Austin; they sell a heat pump for 1600$ in Australia (in
by thechao 1y ago
There's an enormous premium on heat pumps in the U.S. So, there's a manufacturer of heat pumps here, in Austin; they sell a heat pump for 1600$ in Australia (installed); but the same unit is 9000$ (installed) in Austin. Part of the difference is labor (about 1000$); the rest ... I dunno? The difference in cost in electricity vs. propane runs about 1500$/yr. My current HVAC unit is good for another 5 years, or so. I'll just wait it out.
- adrianN 1y ago1500 return on 9000 investment is 16%. Hard to beat that with other investments.
- thechao 1y agoUnderstood, but the heat pump, itself, depreciates. They're good for about 10 years, out here, so you'd have to knock 900$/yr off the "investment". That takes it down to 6%, which is better than a high yield savings account, for sure. My suspicion is that the folk who make these heat pumps are well aware of the pricing structure in central Texas.